Genoa (sail)

Last updated
Genoa: 2 - Reinforcement
5 - Anti-UV covering
6 - Head foil attachment 7 - Panel(s)
8 - Telltales 9 - Reinforcement
11 - Leech line 13 - Foot control
15 - Furling marks
Edges: 3 - Luff 4 - Leech 14 - Foot
Corners: 1 - Head 10 - Tack 12 - Clew Schema-genois-enrouleur.jpg
Genoa : 2 – Reinforcement
5 – Anti-UV covering
6 – Head foil attachment 7 – Panel(s)
8 – Telltales 9 – Reinforcement
11 – Leech line 13 – Foot control
15 – Furling marks
Edges: 3 – Luff 4 – Leech 14 – Foot
Corners: 1 – Head 10 – Tack 12 – Clew
SC70 RETRO's genoa overlaps the main sail and the mast SC70 RETRO Photo D Ramey Logan.jpg
SC70 RETRO's genoa overlaps the main sail and the mast

A genoa sail is a type of large jib or staysail that extends past the mast and so overlaps the main sail when viewed from the side, [1] sometimes eliminating it. It was originally called an "overlapping jib" and later a genoa jib. It is used on single-masted sloops and twin-masted boats such as yawls and ketches. Its larger surface area increases the speed of the craft in light to moderate winds; in high wind, a smaller jib is usually substituted, and downwind a spinnaker may be used.

Contents

Definition

A jib, left, compared to a roughly 110% genoa, right. The foretriangle is outlined in red. Jib vs genoa.svg
A jib, left, compared to a roughly 110% genoa, right. The foretriangle is outlined in red.

The term jib is the generic term for any of an assortment of headsails. The term genoa (or genny) refers to a type of jib that is larger than 100% of the foretriangle, which is the triangular area formed by the point at which the stay intersects the mast, and deck or bowsprit, and the line where the mast intersects deck at the rail. Colloquially the term is sometimes used interchangeably with jib. A working jib is no larger than 100% of the foretriangle. A genoa is larger, with the leech going past the mast and overlapping the mainsail. To maximize sail area, the foot of the sail is generally parallel and very close to the deck when close hauled.

Genoas are categorized by a percentage representing their area relative to 100% of the foretriangle. Sail racing classes often specify a limit to genoa size. Genoas are classified by their size; a modern number 1 genoa would typically be approximately 155%, but historically number 1 genoas have been as large as 180%. Number 2 genoas are generally in the range of 125–140%. Working jibs are also defined by the same measure, typically 100% or less of the foretriangle. Under Performance Handicap Racing Fleet rules, most boats are allowed 155% genoas without a penalty. [2]

Handling issues

Maximizing the sail area can cause more difficult handling. It may be harder to tack a genoa than a jib, since the overlapping area can become fouled among the shrouds and/or mast unless carefully tended during the tack. Genoas are very popular in some racing classes, since they count only the foretriangle area when calculating foresail size; a genoa allows a significant increase in actual sail area within the calculated sail area. In boats where sail restrictions do not apply, genoas of 180% overlap can be found, although those over 150% are rare because the additional area is shadowed by the mainsail when close hauled and generates diminishing returns in terms of power per actual sail area.

The gennaker

The gennaker has been around for several decades now, and as the name suggests, it is a hybrid between a genoa and a symmetrical spinnaker. A brand name of North Sails, the gennaker started as a cruising sail based on the Code 0 spinnakers used on racing boats. Gennakers and similar code 0 variants offered by other makers are even larger than genoas (200% overlaps are not uncommon), and they have a much greater camber for generating larger amounts of lift when reaching. Flat-cut gennakers can be effective for angles as low as 60–70 degrees. Spinnakers perform much better when running because the main sail blocks the wind of gennaker above 135–150 degrees.

History

The famous Swedish sailor and shipowner Sven Salén (1890–1969) first used the genoa on his 6 m R-yacht May-Be by the 1926 in Coppa del Tirreno in Genoa, hence the name. He successfully used it during the Scandinavian Gold Cup's races of 1927 in Oyster Bay (US). Sven Salén also pioneered the parachute spinnacre.

A similar type of jib was in use for centuries by the fishermen in the Netherlands with their Botter type ships. The fishermen relied on the combination of a large jib while fishing so the mainsail could remain unused. After fishing the fisherman's jib [3] helped to get the fish to markets fast.

A correct explanation of the interaction between jib and mainsail was published by aerodynamicist and yachtsman Arvel Gentry in 1981, [4] and "is much more complicated than the old theories imply". This states that the widely believed explanation of the slot effect is "completely wrong" and shows that this is not due to the venturi effect (or "valve effect" to use Curry's term) accelerating the air in the slot. Instead it is shown that the air in the slot is slowed and its pressure increased reducing the tendency of the mainsail to stall, that the mainsail reduces the air pressure on the lee side of the jib accelerating that airflow, and that the mainsail increases the angle at which the air meets the luff of the jib, allowing the boat to point higher. Gentry points out that proper understanding of sail interaction allows better sail trimming.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sailboat</span> Boat propelled partly or entirely by sails

A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rig (sailing)</span> Description of the specific ways that a sailing craft is rigged

A sailing vessel's rig is its arrangement of masts, sails and rigging. Examples include a schooner rig, cutter rig, junk rig, etc. A rig may be broadly categorized as "fore-and-aft", "square", or a combination of both. Within the fore-and-aft category there is a variety of triangular and quadrilateral sail shapes. Spars or battens may be used to help shape a given kind of sail. Each rig may be described with a sail plan—formally, a drawing of a vessel, viewed from the side.

A jib is a triangular sail that sets ahead of the foremast of a sailing vessel. Its forward corner (tack) is fixed to the bowsprit, to the bows, or to the deck between the bowsprit and the foremost mast. Jibs and spinnakers are the two main types of headsails on a modern boat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jibe</span> Basic sailing maneuver, where ship turns its stern through the wind

A jibe (US) or gybe (Britain) is a sailing maneuver whereby a sailing vessel reaching downwind turns its stern through the wind, which then exerts its force from the opposite side of the vessel. Because the mainsail boom can swing across the cockpit quickly, jibes are potentially dangerous to person and rigging compared to tacking. Therefore, accidental jibes are to be avoided while the proper technique must be applied so as to control the maneuver. For square-rigged ships, this maneuver is called wearing ship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Staysail</span> Type of ship sail

A staysail ("stays'l") is a fore-and-aft rigged sail whose luff can be affixed to a stay running forward from a mast to the deck, the bowsprit, or to another mast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spinnaker</span> Sail designed for sailing off the wind

A spinnaker is a sail designed specifically for sailing off the wind on courses between a reach to downwind. Spinnakers are constructed of lightweight fabric, usually nylon, and are often brightly colored. They may be designed to perform best as either a reaching or a running spinnaker, by the shaping of the panels and seams. They are attached at only three points and said to be flown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mainsail</span> Sail rigged to the main mast of a sailing vessel

A mainsail is a sail rigged on the main mast of a sailing vessel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bermuda rig</span> Configuration of mast and rigging for a type of sailboat

A Bermuda rig, Bermudian rig, or Marconi rig is a configuration of mast and rigging for a type of sailboat and is the typical configuration for most modern sailboats. This configuration was developed in Bermuda in the 17th century; the term Marconi, a reference to the inventor of the radio, Guglielmo Marconi, became associated with this configuration in the early 20th century, because the wires that stabilize the mast of a Bermuda rig reminded observers of the wires on early radio masts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sail components</span> Features that define a (ship) sails shape and function

Sail components include the features that define a sail's shape and function, plus its constituent parts from which it is manufactured. A sail may be classified in a variety of ways, including by its orientation to the vessel and its shape,. Sails are typically constructed out of flexible material that is shaped by various means, while in use, to offer an appropriate airfoil, according to the strength and apparent direction of the wind. A variety of features and fittings allow the sail to be attached to lines and spars.

The Ross 930 is a class of fast cruiser-racer yachts named after its designer, New Zealander Murray Ross. The design is marked by light weight and moderate sail area, with a sail-area-to-displacement (SA/D) ratio of about 24, and displacement-to-length (D/L) ratio of 98. The bow section is quite narrow, providing relatively low wave-making resistance and reducing pounding while sailing upwind in waves, and the stern section is wide and flat, making the boat easy to control sailing fast downwind. The interior of the Ross 930 is comfortable, including fitted berths for five, a two-burner stove, galley with sink, and a head. The standard engine is an outboard in a well, but a few boats were built with small inboard diesel engines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gennaker</span>

A gennaker is a sail that was developed around 1990. Used when sailing downwind, it is a cross between a genoa and a spinnaker. It is not symmetric like a true spinnaker but is asymmetric like a genoa, but the gennaker is not attached to the forestay like a jib or genoa. The gennaker is rigged like a spinnaker but the tack is fastened to the hull or to a bowsprit. It has greater camber than a genoa. This is optimal for generating lift at larger angles of attack. An early form of gennaker was the "gollywhomper", used briefly in the 1870s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fractional rig</span> Sailing rig type

A fractional rig on a sailing vessel consists of a foresail, such as a jib or genoa sail, that does not reach all the way to the top of the mast.

A mast-aft rig is a sailboat sail-plan that uses a single mast set in the aft half of the hull. The mast supports fore-sails that may consist of a single jib, multiple staysails, or a crab claw sail. The mainsail is either small or completely absent. Mast-aft rigs are uncommon, but are found on a few custom, and production sailboats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roller furling</span>

Roller furling is a method of furling a yacht's staysail by rolling the sail around a stay. Roller furling is typically used for foresails such as jibs or genoas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laser 3000</span>

The Laser 3000 is a racing sailing dinghy crewed by two persons with a trapeze for the crew. Launched in 1996, the 3000 was developed from the Laser 2, using the original Frank Bethwaite-designed planing hull combined with a brand new self-draining deck by Derek Clark. Clark also re-designed the rig, using spars and sails from premium proprietary sources and replacing the symmetric spinnaker of the Laser 2 by a larger asymmetrical spinnaker. The gennaker is chute-launched and retrieved using a single halyard line, and is set on a retractable bowsprit. Helm balance and handling were improved using a shorter-footed mainsail with two full-width battens giving a larger roach. A mast with conventional spreaders replaced the now-unusual diamond arrangement of the Laser 2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">3000 (dinghy)</span> Racing sailing dinghy crewed by two persons with a trapeze for the crew

The 3000 is a racing sailing dinghy crewed by two persons with a trapeze for the crew. Launched in 1996 as the Laser 3000, the 3000 was developed from the Laser 2, using the original Frank Bethwaite-designed planing hull combined with a new designed self-draining deck by Derek Clark. Clark also re-designed the rig, using spars and sails from premium proprietary sources and replacing the symmetric spinnaker of the Laser 2 by a larger asymmetric spinnaker (gennaker). The gennaker is chute-launched and retrieved using a single halyard line, and is set on a retractable bowsprit. Helm balance and handling were improved using a shorter-footed mainsail with two full-width battens giving a larger roach. A mast with conventional spreaders replaced the now-unusual diamond arrangement of the Laser 2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asymmetrical spinnaker</span>

An asymmetrical spinnaker is a sail used when sailing between about 90 and 165 degrees from the angle of the wind. Also known as an "asym", "aspin", or "A-sail" it can be described as a cross between a genoa jib and a spinnaker. It is asymmetric like a genoa, but like a spinnaker, its luff is unstructured; its leading edge is allowed to float freely, unencumbered by an internal wire or hanks attaching it to a stay. Unlike a symmetric spinnaker, the asymmetric does not require a spinnaker pole, since it is fixed (tacked) to the bow or bowsprit. The asymmetrical spinnaker has a larger camber than a genoa and a Spinnaker Mid-Gerth (SMG) -- also called Spinnaker Half Width (SHW) -- measurement greater than the length of its foot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Esse 990</span> Racing sportboat

The Esse 990 is a 9.9-meter-long (32-foot) racing sportboat designed by Umberto Felci and built by Josef Schuchter Sportboats of Stafa, Switzerland. The first hull was sold in 2008 and series production was begun in 2009.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to sailing:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sail plan</span> Technical drawing of a sailing craft

A sail plan is a drawing of a sailing craft, viewed from the side, depicting its sails, the spars that carry them and some of the rigging that supports the rig. By extension, "sail plan" describes the arrangement of sails on a craft. A sailing craft may be waterborne, an iceboat, or a sail-powered land vehicle.

References

  1. Jerry Cardwell, Dieter Loibner (2007). Sailing Big on a Small Sailboat, 3rd. Ed. Sheridan House, Inc. p. 68. ISBN   978-1-57409-247-9.
  2. Ross Garrett (1996). The symmetry of sailing . Sheridan House, Inc. p.  124. ISBN   1-57409-000-3.
  3. nl:Botter
  4. A Review of Modern Sail Theory Archived 2014-04-22 at the Wayback Machine , Proceedings of the Eleventh AIAA Symposium on the Aero/Hydronautics of Sailing September 12, 1981